The Welfare State and The State of Welfare

In my last post I discussed the Right's obesession with the ownership society, if everybody owned their own destiny than society would happier for it. All the while the Right constantly puts on display how they are not taking ownership of society. The Left has a similar obsession, the obsession of wealth redistribution. The welfare state has similar lacking effects as those that believe completely in the ownership society.

When wealth is automatically redistributed by force(taxes) and given to people who have no money or very little income, it automatically reinforces those conditions that keep people in poverty or the lower classes. If one is to receive a check every month without working or paying taxes why should one elevate themselves in socitey? Why should they want to own homes? Have investments? Own their own business? They know that then they will be placed in that category that is taxed. They are told by the Left that those people are taking advantage of them in the first place, why should a lower class person aspire to be the evil one? Especially when they get the evil people's money for free! Just for being who they are.

The lower class lacks not funds per se, they lack the resources to obtain those skills that enhance to ability to achieve success. Low wages, low government augmentation, little time to go to school, single mothers, single fathers, both parents working, drugs, gangs, crime, and other negative factors all put pressure on them and their children. All these factors coupled with very little leadership, mentors, teachers, examples of success keep the lower class from stepping up the ladder.

Just as the Right does, the Left assumes that there are others out there to do the work while money is poured into governmental programs. Their solutioin is to create government agencies that support these programs. What is lacking in these agencies is the manpower, resources, or time in order to see that aid is rendered effectively. These agencies are maxed and tasked to the breaking point. The jobs for these agencies are unglamorous, low paying, thankless jobs that are staffed mostly with well meaning people, genuinely wanting to help. There are just not enough people wanting these jobs in the first place.

These agencies are also highly inefficient, beareaucratic nightmares, and time consuming for those who the aid is most needed. Often appointments at these agencies requires a person to take time off from work, sometimes a substantial amount of time one or more days in a week. This also strains the companies in which these people are employed, and affects work performance. On top of that if it comes to a breaking point at work where a person risks losing their job for time off, they risk losing those benefits if they miss appointments, don't fill out or do the required paperwork, or turn the required paperwork in on time. It can take months to have those benefits restored. All because they could no longer afford to take time off from work to keep the required paperwork in order, or had a face to face meeting with a case handler.

Overhauling or reform is the past has done little to alleviate these problems. Reform puts the solution in the hands of those who created the beareaucratic maze and mess in the first place, the politicians. When politicians are enacting legislation they have to compromise with the other side. Often this creates reform that adds (not reforms) to the beareaucratic responsibilities of the agency that was receiving the overhaul in the first place. Compromise is the bane of politics. Compromise is worthless when trying to solve certain problems. There is a reason the when we say something or someone has been compromised that they are vulnerable or susceptable to outside influence. We need to stop letting politicians compromise with each other and come up with a set of solutions as Americans.

What is the solution? The solution is in my last post. Taking the lead and taking ownership of society. Individuals of society who have the ability to start new businesses need to work around individuals who require the most dire help. Their employees must be willing to work for those who have to take off for these appointments. You have to create this is the culture of the company hiring those people who are most willing to work within that environment. I understand that most people who start a business usually in business to make money. Plus to have an employee or employees who have to take off work strains a business. If you do feel that people need help and given a chance. Then isn't your responsibility to create an organization with this kind of culture? Why are you letting politicians force the responsibility on people who have put their heart and soul into a business? The Left loves to watch the rich get punished for taking so much from society and not giving back. Yet they also fail to the lead as do the Right to cure the ails. Take the initiative and create an organization centered around your values instead of letting the government force the issue on to those that are already employers.

Like the Right it all comes down to a matter of vision for the Left. The division in America over Left and Right, the line drawn in the sand by the media and the politicians is what keeps those people in power. The Left is content to keep the media and those politicians in power while not acting for themselves. Yes the power is in the politicians hands, we react to their policies. Politicians are our representatives, they should be reacting to our whims. The governement does need to regulate industries and legislate protection for those who cannot do it themselves. The government should not be setting the agenda. We need to move the powere out of Washington and give it back to the states and local governments. The way to do this is for Americans to care of their own, and not be content to let the welfare state do our jobs for us. Once we do this the politicians will have to listen to us because we will no longer need them, they will need us because we can now take care of ourselves.